Eric Paterson

Eric Paterson is the Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor of Marine Propulsion and Department Head of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. He holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa. His research focuses on fluid dynamics, CFD, turbulence modeling, and high-performance computing with applications to marine propulsion, wind energy, and biomedical systems. He leads the Center for Research and Engineering in Aero/Hydrodynamic Technologies (CREATe) and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ship Research. Key awards include Fellowships from SNAME and AIAA. His teaching emphasizes fundamentals, hands-on learning, and open-source tools like OpenFOAM.

• Education:
• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Iowa (1994)
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Iowa (1990)
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Iowa (1987)
• Research Interests:
• CFD and turbulence modeling
• Wind and marine energy systems
• Fluid-structure interaction
• OpenFOAM development
• Biomedical fluid dynamics
• Service:
• Chair, Aerospace Department Chairs Association (ADCA)
• Member, Virginia Tech HPC Investment Committee
• Advisory roles at Rolls-Royce, University of Iowa, and National Security Institute